Returning to Work

What do you do when you return to work after being away?

Whether one day or 100 days, catching up can cause stress, guilt, overwhelm (you name it).

Here's what I try to incorporate:

👉 Triage emails the night before I go back.

👉 Look ahead at the coming business days, getting a feel for over-scheduled, scheduled, under-scheduled (deep work), and free time.

👉 Review the fridge, tossing old/expired food, listing needed items, and then going grocery shopping.

👉 Enter miscellaneous time from the out-of-office days.

👉 Create and place a hierarchy on the next day’s work tasks—noting the small, quick tasks to do first, building momentum as I step back into work.

👉 Plan out other chores, easing the sense that they all need to be done right now.

My goal: try to not do too much too soon to “make up for it.”

All of this is easier said than done.

All of this helps me keep the guilt at bay—or at least far enough away to notice and let go of it, resisting dwelling.

How you do you ease back in after time away?

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